Various conveyor systems for a wide variety of goods including elevating conveyors, horizontal conveyors, and combination types, are known in the prior art. The so-called "dumb waiter" for elevating various articles in homes, restaurants and the like between different floor levels has long been known in the art.
The present invention has for its major objective to satisfy a particular need of the art which has heretofore not been satisfied, and which known prior art devices are not readily capable of satisfying because of structural complexities, excessive cost, and absence of modular or unit construction necessary for convenient, practical and economical installation with minimum alteration of existing cabinet structure in kitchens or the like.
More precisely, the present invention seeks to provide a simplified, efficient and comparatively economical unitized storage conveyor apparatus for easy installation bodily in existing or new kitchen cabinetry to greatly increase the storage capacity and the accessibility of stored articles in such cabinetry, and to utilize corner regions of the cabinetry which are not ordinarily used conveniently or efficiently. Additionally, the invention can utilize adjacent wasted spaces above stairways or beneath floors on which the kitchen cabinets are situated.
The storage conveyor mechanism utilized in the invention is reliable, durable and smooth and quiet in operation. It utilizes to the maximum the normally inconvenient corner spaces in kitchen cabinets and, in this connection, is far more efficient and convenient than the well-known vertical axis Lazy-Susan devices sometimes installed in cabinet corners. Much cabinet space is lost in the use of the traditional Lazy-Susan and such space is fully utilized by the invention.
An important aspect of the invention resides in a very simplified, motor-driven sprocket gear drive for the storage conveyor chains which are in staggered or offset relationship within a box-like housing which encloses the entire conveyor system and renders it a self-contained module or unit. Two driving sprocket gears engage the exteriors of the offset or staggered conveyor chains in a unique manner and the chains themselves are structured with large links and large rollers to cooperate with the external sprocket gear drive for greater efficiency and greater economy in manufacturing and installation, compared to traditional internal sprocket drives. The unique driving arrangement enables the use of an improved trackway system for the conveyor chains including arcuate trackway portions at opposite ends of straight trackway sections, whereby gaps are avoided in the continuous trackway and the large chain mounted wheels are positively guided at all points.
The storage conveyor module additionally embodies an improved storage tray construction and suspension system which assures that the conveyor trays are level at all times. The conveyor chain links, the trays and their suspension members are dimensioned so that the conveyor mechanism can be expanded readily for the addition of trays in buildings where ceiling heights may vary, thus rendering the invention easily adaptable to different installation requirements.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.